This blog has nothing to do with gorillas (though I love 'em)...fellow bloggers have inspired me to share vintage images of Disneyland from my personal collection. But don't be surprised if you see something from a World's Fair, Knott's Berry Farm, or someplace else that is cool!

Thursday, December 05, 2013

Some sort of little parade is making its way up Main Street. Or maybe it's a big parade. Anyway, it's nice to see the Walrus from Alice in Wonderland, he's a character that isn't seen too often anymore. His pal the White Rabbit is nearby.

Hey, there's "Big W" again. I like his groovy 70's mustache, and so do the guests. In the background you can see the tropical lagoon that housed the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction.

I've always liked the day-glo orange fur on Tigger, and he looks so fluffy and huggable. These kids clearly agree. Extra points go to the kid with the plumed chapeau; it's the look that never went out of style.

Flower the Skunk is another character you just don't see these days. Wouldn't he be popular? I say yes. Just look at the smiling fans nearby. Now I see that big sis is the true owner of that hat, but I like the fact that she put it on her little bro in the previous picture.

13 comments:

So many polyester pants in today's post! My favorite is the red pair on the guy in the Tigger photo. His red white and blue outfit looks almost like a cast member costume, but the cigarette and Polaroid camera that he is holding tells us differently.

There seems to be something distinctive and unique about the way people dressed at Walt Disney World in the 1970s. I can't pinpoint it, but it's unmistakable when viewing early images of the Vacation Kingdom.

I never knew the Walrus had been a walkaround character! I love his tiny green top hat - very Steampunk. His mustache kind of looks like a mop head. Even Sideburn Brothers Photography, Inc., in the second shot, is too amazed at its glory to raise their lenses to it.

This new set blows my previous hypothesis about the wardrobe chronology of the Stripe Brothers vacation out of the water. Glasses Brother and Big Sister are BOTH now in different outfits, so I now maintain that it's a different day and Non-Glasses Brother is recycling his redsleeve shirt. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it (until another set of pictures makes me change my mind).

I know I tend to dress in loud colors at WDW. Maybe it's so we can see each other in the Florida haze? The first picture I got with Tigger as an adult, I happened to be wearing a black t-shirt with a neon-orange design on the front. It was quite eye-catching.

Love, love this set. There's almost too much going on to take in in one viewing.

Hey, I remember that kid in the background of the second picture, in the red and white suit. He/she was in the background when the Stripe kids got their picture taken with one of the Little Pigs in the same area.

I only remember because I zoomed in to see if his/her shirt was a Canadian flag. (It's not.)

One thing I've notice about your early WDW pics are not just the polyester pants, but pants in general. Now days, you don't see too many people wearing long pants at WDW......it's a sea of shorts!

I also love the Walrus character. They used him in Christmas Parades at Disneyland in the eighties. I'm not sure when they stopped using him. I also miss the characters from Robin Hood, The Rescuers and The Jungle Book....why does it always have to be about the princesses? Wait, I know the answer to that.....$$$$$$$$$!

Balloo and King Louie are still regulars at the Animal Kingdom. But even there I'd love to see Mickey, Minnie, the Pooh gang, and characters you can see in every other park give up a little more space to classic animal characters from other films. Now that kids are raised on Disney home video, it's not like they're all that unfamiliar.

Melissa, I didn't know that tiny green top hats = steampunk! Though I sort of get it. It is true, even grown men are entranced by the Walrus. As for the wardrobe controversy, I think we can safely assume that the one little boy didn't like to change his shirt. Ever. WOW, good eye on that kid with the red & white outfit, I am amazed that you not only noticed him/her, but that you recalled it weeks later - Canadian flag or not.

TokyoMagic!, I never wear shorts at DL, even when it is hot. And AMEN, I am sick of the princesses. They have so many great characters; but little girls rule in this case, unfortunately.

Melissa, I await the day that they add an Oswald walk-around character. If it happens, I predict pandemonium!

JG, I don't mind the goths, as a rule! Most of them are quiet and want to be left alone. As for 70's clothes, I don't miss them, though they have acquired a certain charm after 50 years.

Melissa, I'd like to think that those two ladies became good friends by sheer happenstance!